Posts tagged ‘comparison’

There has been a deluge of biased information out lately comparing the Cricut Explore vs the Silhouette Cameo but the truth is the systems are very different, each with strengths and weaknesses and neither is a slam dunk for everyone. As the holiday rapidly approaches, which should be on your wish list? Let me try my best to give you some objective guidance.

First let me get the similarities out of the way. Both can cut vinyl or card stock to the level of precision and accuracy quite suitable for the typical to advanced crafter. (Cricut-commissioned tests do show the Explore with a slight lead in accuracy.) Both can cut the fonts on your computer or downloadable in TTF or OTF format as well as images in their own native formats. Both allow you to import and vectorize your own images from jpg or png format. Neither allows their proprietary digital content to be exported to another vector format.

It’s difficult to compare the digital subscriptions head to head because they are quite different. Keep in mind that with a Silhouette subscription you are *purchasing* image licenses, whereas with a Cricut subscription you are *renting* them. When your subscription ends (or if a company goes out of business), you walk away with nothing from Cricut, whereas the Silhouette image licenses are yours to keep.

It is also difficult to compare individual image purchases. You can purchase some image sets or individual images from Cricut, as well as purchasing/linking cartridges available at varying prices. The actual amount you pay for a Silhouette image varies widely depending on how much you pay for your subscription or download card, but is usually much less than advertised if you shop wisely.

As far as ease of use, I’m unimpressed with both companies’ current options. Cricut’s carefully designed user interface is marred by frequent errors, freezes and crashes brought about by their unfortunate choice to make Design Space browser based and built on Flash. You won’t have to learn many design options, but you will have to learn to install multiple browsers, to delve into their detailed settings, and to clear their caches, sometimes multiple times daily.

I thought Silhouette Studio v2 had a great balance of power and ease of use, but then came V3, and a lot of disappointment. It added meager new features but disproportionately more confusion, making it not so easy to use any more (V2 is still available but not fully compatible with the newest Cameos). Cricut Design Space and Silhouette Studio are free, so I encourage you to load them both and try your hand at some design and printing tasks representative of your needs before you make a machine purchase.

Now, below I’ve listed some key differences you want to be aware of in light of your own specific needs…

Things you can do with a Cameo that you can’t do with an Explore

-Design or cut without an active internet and server connection

-Cut (vinyl or other backed materials) or draw/write without a mat

-Create your own designs from scratch using built in shape tools, freehand tools, line styles, alignment, etc.

-Add a fully adjustable offset (shadow) to any text or image for cutting, for print and cut or for draw/write and cut.

-Cut directly from 3rd party software such as Make the Cut, Sure Cuts a Lot, Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw (3rd party software must be purchased, AI and CD require the Silhouette Connect module as well MSRP $49.99, street price $30)

-Roll feed vinyl (optional feeder MSRP $39.95, street price $35)

-Precisely place cuts with respect to the page

-Cut or write on media that is up to 15 inches wide

-Combine elements from existing files via copy and paste

Things you can do with an Explore that you can’t do with a Cameo

-Write and cut without pausing to exchange pen with blade

-Adjust all material settings including blade depth with a single dial

-Cut and score without pausing to exchange blade with scoring tool (optional scoring tool MSRP $8.99, street price $5.40) or to adjust blade depth. (I list this reluctantly, because the score pressure can not be controlled independently of the cut and you can not set up a separate file of just the score lines to work around this. Cut and score is somewhat disappointing as it stands now).

-Design with all library images from any internet connected computer without having to purchase the images first

-Edit an existing file of yours from any internet connected computer

There are few cases where the choice is obvious

For instance…

If you prefer to cut ready-made designs with as little effort as possible, then the Explore is for you

If you want to be able to cut metal, shrink plastic or other heavy materials, the Explore has the higher pressure you will need. (However, if pressure is your main consideration and you can afford to pay more, there are other options, such as the Pazzles Vue, that have even more pressure as well as better software and cutting size options)

If you have a ton of Cricut cartridges, you will probably want to stick with Cricut. Likewise, if you own a lot of Silhouette store files, you will likely want to stick with Silhouette

If you want a machine for print and cut invitations, the Cameo is the clear choice because of the size and resolution limitations of Explore’s print then cut

If you do primarily vinyl projects, the Cameo is better suited for vinyl work for a number reasons. (ability to cut without a mat, cutting length up to ten feet, optional roll feeder, ability to more easily add weed lines, better typographic support including text wrap, etc.)

If noise is a concern, the Explore is a significantly quieter machine.

If you rely on your cutter for a business, the Explore simply can not be your only machine because internet or server interruptions will bring you to a halt. I would also consider the lack of content control to be a major concern for business owners.

If you already have one, ask for the other. Then you will have the best of both worlds. :)

I’ve recreated my Vinyl Cost Calculator on Instacalc, along with some instructions (it’s easier than it looks). Type in a few particulars and it quickly returns a comprehensive total cost per square foot. This is great for comparison shopping or for deciding what quantity you should order.
Here’s an annotated screen shot (click to enlarge) with all the info (plus overkill) you need to get started.

It’s been over a year since I visited the details of each software package available to drive a Silhouette cutter. There’s still no clear winner for everyone, because so much depends on what you want to do, how much learning curve you are willing to endure and how much you want to spend, not to mention personal preference. I have made a radical update to my comparison chart to help you choose what’s right for you among Silhouette’s own software, Make the Cut or Sure Cuts a Lot. Funtime Pro is also an option now, but I’ve not had a copy to compare so the items on the chart in that column are provisional at best. Hoping for some input from Funtime users on this. I know many of you are like me, and already use more than one of these software packages. In that case, I hope this chart will help you find the best one for the task at hand.

In addition, I’ve added a detailed chart on file formats. Most of you can probably skip this, but if you are interested in being able to cut a particular file format (or a lot of them) then this may help you make a decision. This information may also be helpful to designers choosing which file formats to offer.

With the popularity of the Cameo (and earlier SD model), and the introduction of premium software from Silhouette, there are lots of questions about which software is best. There’s not an easy answer, because it depends on what you want to do, and how much you want to spend. I have prepared a comparison chart to help you choose what’s right for you, Silhouette’s own software, Make the Cut or Sure Cuts a Lot.

I love Sharpies, but I am not too impressed with the Sharpie web site. Oh, it’s cute, but a little thin on the info. For instance, there is not a list of colors. You can only see each individual color as you mouse over it <sigh>. So I moused all over the site, writing down each color as it was revealed and thought some of you might want to have a copy of my Sharpie Checklist, too. I made both a checkbox and a space for hand coloring in case you want to test colors you don’t own yet (Office Depot is a great place for this since they have a bunch of individual Sharpies with the colors labeled). The column on the far left is my attempt to match up the Sharpie colors with the Bic Mark-It colors using an untrained eye and the Sharpies I could get my hands on for side by side comparison. In general, the Sharpies write brighter than the Bics, so there aren’t as many close matches as you’d expect.

A big disadvantage to Sharpies is that the color name does not appear on the marker itself and sometimes not on the package either so it can be difficult to tell what color Sharpie you hold in your hand. My next step is to label my Sharpies with their color names. Hmmm, I wonder if you can write on a Sharpie with a Sharpie?

Craftedge released on update of SureCutsALot that brings Mac users up to parity with their Windows counterparts and also adds such features as text on a path, open path cutting and line styles.

Make the Cut also released version 2.2.0 which features a rebuild of the interface, layers capability the ability to cut to a number of other cutters besides the Cricut through a full color print function. This version of Make the Cut also features the long promised and somewhat controversial feature that allows owners of Cricut Design Studio to back up the images in the carts they own to SVG files.

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Posts on this blog may include affiliate links which reward me for purchases you make from here. This allows me to defray the cost of providing this blog to you. Though there is sometimes a financial incentive for me to recommend products and services you can trust me to only steer you towards those I personally use and am satisfied with.